Regenerative preheater for gas



Nov. 9 1926.

1,606,30 F. LJUNGSTROM REGENERATIVE PREHEATER FOR GAS Filed Sept. 19, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet l F. 'LJUNGSTROM RBGENERATIVEPREHEATER FOR GAS Nov. 1926.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 19, 19

45 the rotor and out of the path FREDBIK LJUNGSTBdM, OF LIDINGO-BREYIKE, SWEDEN, ASSIGNOR T0 AKTIEBOLA- GET LJ'UNGSTRM ANGTU'RBIN, OE STOCKHOLE, SWEDEN, A CORPORATION.

REGENERATIVE PREHEATER FOR, GAS..

Application filed September 19, 1922, Serial No. 589,244.. and in Sweden July 5, 1922.

The present invention relates to regenerative preheaters for gas of the type in which a rotor containing a mass of heat-absorbing and rejecting material-otherwise known as regenerative material or regenerative massis rotatably' mounted in a casing forming a-channel for a-fluid giving off heat and a channel for gas which is to be preheated, with the rotor located transversely of both of said channels. I

In prior forms of this type of preheater, the rotating elements of the preheater have been journaled in the surrounding casing at points selected only with regard, to the 1 proper supporting of said elements, and in kept as cool as possible by'proper lubrication and other means and in the prior forms of construction, proper bearing temperatures have been difiicult to maintain because of the position of the bearingsin the path of the hot gases. Because of the excessive bearing temperatures and the faulty lubrication caused thereby, these'bearings have been subject to excessive and premature wear.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate 'thiscondition by mounting the rotor in such a manner that the bearings will be located in po sitions where they aresurrounded by comparatively cold air or gas. A further object of the invention is the location of the bearings in positions where the are easily accessible from the 140 exterior o the casing forpurposes of lubrication, replacement or repair. The invention consists in the rotatable mounting and guiding of the rotor on rollers jonrnaled in caring-s located outside the periphery of air or gases passing through the heater.

' The accompanying drawings illustrate diagrammatically two embodiments of a regenerative heater of thetype previously 7 known, provided with heanngslocated in accordance with the invention. Figs. 1 and 2 are respectivel vertical sectional and plan views of one em odiment and Figs. 3 and 4: 'j are corresponding views of a second em- 5 'bodiment. v

It is well known that bearings, .particularly of the high speed type, must be =5 into the inner channel 8 of the preheatcr, said channel 8 being connected to, or constructed integral with the stack. The air s to be preheated is forced by, means 1 of fan 4, through therotor 2 and channel. 8 in the direction of the arrow 9, after which it is conveyed through a conduit con- -1- i as at 10 to'the place In the illustrative embodiment shown, the

casingconsists of three sections-1, 1 and 1,the upper one (1) of which is formed lindrical member imperforate except for the bearing mountings and while this form of section is desirable, it is not essential to the exerciseof the invention, for reasons whichv will appear more fully hereinafter.

I The embodiment-shown in Figs. 1 and 2, comprises an outer casing, in which is mounted an annular rotor 2-filled with a regenerative mass 2, and an inner casing ex tending through the central opening in the rotor to form a channel 8, through which the gases may flow past the rotor if it is not intended to use the preheater'." Between'the I 8d inner and outer walls of the casing section's 1 andl, there are arranged partitions 17 dividing said sections into two channels,v I

one (8) for the air to be heated and the other (8 for the hot waste gases, which partitions serve to keep the two fluids separate ,from one another. The preheater is connected with the plant to which it has to deliver preheated air or gas in such a manher that the channel conveying the waste gases from which the heat is to be taken is connected to the casing at 6', from whence? the waste gases pass through the channel 8" and the rotor 2 in the direction of the arrow 7, after which they are forced by the fan nected to the casing where it is'to'be used.

I In accordance. with;.the 'invention, the" rotor '2 is provided with an outer circumferm5 ential rib 13,-or the l,ike", bymeans of which it is rotatably supportcd--on"aLplurality. of

rollers 11, one of whi h fq f ie p constitutes a frictionaidr ia -m rotor."

In the illustrative example shown, the roller 11 is extended through its bearlng' and carries a chain sprocket 11, which is connected by means of a suitable chain 11, with a drive sprocket 3 mounted on the .fan shaft 3, the latter also being provided with a pulley 3 adapted to be driven from any suitable source of power. .With

' this arrangement the fan shaft and rotor shown, as it forms no part of the present invention.

The rotor is laterally guided by a second set of rollers 12, which, in the embodiment shown, are three innumber and engage the outer periphery of the rib 13.

The hearings in which the sup orting rollers 11,, including the drive rol er 11*, are journaled, support the weight of the rotor and these, as well as the bearings 7 edges and the flanges 15 and 15" which e for the guide rollers 12, are mounted in the intermediate section 1? of the casing, so that all of the rollers and their respective bearings lie outside the periphery of the rotor. In this position they are easily accessible and, moreover, are situated in the relatively cold air surrounding the rotor.

It will be readily apparent from an inspection of Fig. 1 that it is highly desirable to have all of the air or gas to be heated and the hot waste gases also pass through the regenerative rotor (except at such times as the hot gases ma he by-passed through the channel 8) both to conserve the efficiency of the preheater and also to prevent the heatin effect on the rollers and bearings 11 an 12, which would occur it hot waste gases were allowed to pass between the outer circumference of the rotor 2 and the intermediate casing section 1*. maximum benefit from the present 'inventi-on, it is desirable that the annular space between the outer periphery of the rotor 2 and the casing 1 be substantially sealed from the entrance of hot waste gases thereinto, and in orderflto accomplish this the rotor 2, as. will be seen from Fig. 1, is V constructed with a very small clearance =be-- tween its upper and lower circumferenti tend around the rotor and form the bottom of the upper casing section 1 and top of the lower casing section 1. With the rotor constructed in this manner the outer Ezriphery thereof servesto bridge the space. tween the upper and lower casing sec- In order to realize the' tions and prevents the passage of any ap preciable amount of gas or air from the casing to the space surrounding the rotor. Furthermore, this construction makes it unnecessary'to depend on the casing section 1" to form a seal between the casing sections 1 and 1 and this intermediate sec- 'pluralityof brackets connecting and properly spacing the casing sections 1 and 1 and also serving as supports for the roller bearings p The fan shaft'3 is journaled atone end in a bearing 13 located in the coldair inlet and at its opposite end is journaled in a bearing 14 located outside the upper casing section. 1. Both of these hearings,

because of their location, are easily accessible and :are exposed only to relativelfiv cold air,'and by this arrangement it will be seen that in this embodiment all ofthc hearings in the preheater are in accessible positions and in cool zones. By this arrangement the bearings may be easily maintained at proper operatingtemperatures and their proper lubrication and maintenance accomplished readily because of their accessible position. I

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fi s. 3 and 4, the waste gasesf' enter the pre eater in the direction of the arrow 7, as in the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2, but in this instance they" areforced out of the pr'eheaterby the fan.

5 throu h the conduit l5 to the stack: connected thereto, or to a suitable conduit leading to the stack.

In this casethe casing is not provided Y with an inner channel nor is the rotor providedwith a central opening. Thefrotor extends entirely across the space'enclosed by by-Passior the gases 1 the casing 1 and the past the rotor is omitted. h

The air or gas to be preheated. isin this case also drawn in by the M14, which forces it through the rotor 2 and casing '1 in thefdi Q rection of the arrow 9.

-The regenerative rotor 1s, in this embodiment, mounted and driven in the same man-.

nor as that previously described. The fan shaft 3 is also mounted at one end in a that shown in Fig.1, but the other bearing .14 is located in a position within the easing where cold air or gas to be heated is forced around and past the bearing to cool bearing 13 located in thesame position as k it. If the bearing 14 were located in the same relative position as that shown in Fig. 1, it would he in the path of the hotgases while appreciably cooled by passage through vthe rotor 2, would still be at a temperature materially above that of the cold air entermg the regenerator. The bearing 14* is preferably mounted on the partition 17 dividing the upper portion of the casing into air and gas channels and in this position it will be readily apparent that while the bearing is not so accessible as in the embodimenfishown in Fig. 1, it is subject to the cooling influence of the air entering the preheater. a.

1 The central by-pass opening through the preheater shownJnF-ig. 1- is described and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 579,528, filed August- 3, 1922. L Obviously, many variations and changes in the forms shown in the illustrative embodiments may be made Within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. T

I claim: I

'1. In a regenerative heating device for transmitting heat from one fluid to another, the combination with a rotor which is rotatably mounted in a horizontal plane partly in the fluid giving ofl heat and partly in the fluid to be heated, a regenerative material in said rotor, and a casing surrounding said' rotor, of supporting rollerson which the rotor is rotatably mounted and guiding rollers to guide said rotor, all of said rollers being journaled in the casing peripherally outside the rotor.

2. In a regenerative heating device for transmitting heat from one fluid to another,

the combination with a rotor which is rotatably mounted in a horizontal plane partly in the fluid giving oil heat and partly in the fluid to be heated, a regenerative material in said rotor, and a casing surrounding said rotor, of supporting rollers journaled inthe casing peripherally outside the rotor, on which rollers the rotor is rotatably mounted andmeans to drive oneot said rollers and by means thereof also the rotor.

3.111 a regenerative heating device for transmitting heat from one fluid to another, the combination with a rotor which is rotatably mounted in a horizontal plane partly in the fluid giving off heat and partly in the fiuid to be heated, a regenerative material in said rotor, and a casing surrounding said rotor, of supporting rollers on which the rotor is rotatably mounted, means to drive one of said rollers and by means thereof also the rotor, and guiding rollers to guide said rotor, all of said rollers being journaled in said casing peripherally outside the rotor. 1

l. In a regenerative heating device for transmitting heat from one fluid to another,

a cylinder rotatably mounted in a horizontal plane partly in the fluid giving 0d heat and partly in the fluid to be heated, a regenerative material in said cylinder, a casing surrounding said cylinder, a rib on the outer side of said cylinder, rollers journaled in said casing'peripherally outside the cylinder supporting the same by the rib of the cylinder bearing on said rollers, means for driving one of said sup orting rollers and by 'means'thereof also tie cylinder, and otherrollers journaled in the casing peripherally outside the cylinder to guide the same.

5. In a regenerative heating device for transmitting heat from one fluid to another, a pair of spaced casing sections, each of which forms a portion of a channel for a fluid to be heated and also a portion of a channel for a fluid giving ofl heat, a-cylin-der rotatably' mounted in a horizontal plane partly in the fluid giving off heat and partly in the fluid to be heated and bridging the space between said sections, a regenerative material in said cylinder, connecting means holding said casing sections in spaced relation, supporting rollers on which said cylinder is rotatably mounted, means to drive one of said rollers and by means thereof also the cylinder, and guide rollers to guide said cylinder, all of said rollers being journaled in said connecting means.

6. In a regenerative heating device for transmitting heat from one fluid to another,

vertically posited spaced casing sections each till of which forms a portion of a channel for a fluid to be heated and also a portion of a channel for a fluid giving ofl heat, a rotor cylinder adapted to be rotatably mounted in a horizontal plane partly in the fluid giving oil heat and partly in the fluid to be heated and adapted to bridge the space between said sections, regenerative material in said rotor cylinder, supporting rollers for carrying said rotor cylinder, guide rollers for guiding said rotor cylinder,'bearings for said supportin rollers and said guide rollers journalled peripherally outside the rotor cylinder, means for supporting the bearings for the rollers outside the rotor cylinder and for spacing said casing sections in given relative positions and means to drive one of said rollers and by means thereof also the rotor cylinder.

7. in a re enerative heating device for transmitting eat from one fluid to. another, vertically posited spaced casing sections each of which forms a portion of a channel for a fluid to be heated and also a portion of a channel for a fluid giving off heat, a rotor cylinder adapted to be rotatably mounted in aliorizpntal plane partly in the fluid giving oil heat and partly in the fluid to be heated and adapted to bridge the space bespaces between the rotor and said spaced casing sections and means to drive one of said rollers and by means thereof also the rotor 10 cylinder. r

In testimony whereof I afliz'r my signature.

FREDRIKYV LJUN'osTRoM. 

